Postdoctoral Fellowships: A Critical Step Beyond the PhD in the Training of Physical Therapists

Abstract

Background and Purpose. The physical therapy profession has, in the past decade, placed increasing emphasis on the importance of evidence-based practice. More physical therapists are pursuing nonclinical doctoral degrees, such as PhDs, in an effort to obtain the skills necessary to conduct original research and add to the foundation of literature upon which we base our practice. In 2002, the number of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) members reporting a nonclinical doctorate as their highest earned degree was 30% higher than in 1996 (Sarah Miller, APTA Archives, oral communication, March 2003). Despite this increasing trend toward and emphasis on nonclinical doctoral training of physical therapist researchers, there has not been a concomitant statement from the profession regarding the importance of postdoctoral study for these individuals. The purpose of this paper is to advocate for recognition of the importance of postdoctoral studies to physical therapy. Position and Rationale. As more physical therapists pursue research doctorates and the standards for rehabilitation research become more stringent, the postdoctoral fellowship should become the accepted and expected next step in the careers of these individuals. The vital role of postdoctoral training in the preparation of independent researchers has long been recognized in other fields. The time has come for individuals, institutions, and professional organizations in the physical therapy community to recognize how important postdoctoral studies are in the careers of research scientists and respond accordingly. Recommendations and Conclusion. Postdoctoral training for physical therapists (PTs) is currently undervalued. To remedy this situation, the following actions are recommended: (1) changing expectations in the job market, with institutions requiring or at least recommending postdoctoral training among applicants for research-oriented tenure-track faculty positions, (2) acknowledgement of postdoctoral training by professional organizations through the addition of postdoctoral training as a level of education in member surveys used by APTA and accreditation surveys used by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), and (3) enhancing graduate student access to information on how and why to pursue postdoctoral training. Keywords: Postdoctoral training, Postdoctoral fellow. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In the past decade, the physical therapy profession has placed increasing emphasis on the importance of evidence-based practice. Many professional (entry-level) physical therapy degree programs now offer a clinical doctorate in physical therapy in an effort to provide clinicians with the tools they need to effectively use available evidence. At the same time, more physical therapists are pursuing nonclinical doctoral degrees, such as PhDs, in an effort to obtain the skills necessary to conduct original research and add to the foundation of literature upon which we base our practice. In 2002, the number of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) members reporting a nonclinical doctorate as their highest earned degree was 30% higher than in 1996 (APTA Archives, oral communication, March 2003). Despite this increasing trend toward and emphasis on nonclinical doctoral training of physical therapist researchers, there has not been a concomitant statement from the profession regarding the importance of postdoctoral study for these individuals. The purpose of this paper is to advocate for placing increased importance on postdoctoral studies in the training of independent, funded researchers in the profession of physical therapy. Additionally, we recommend ways that the physical therapy profession can encourage individuals to pursue study beyond the PhD. Postdoctoral Fellowships: History and Current Status What is a postdoctoral fellowship and why is it important? The first part of this question has been answered by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB),1 which defines a postdoctoral fellowship as noted in Table 1. …